The Guild of One-Name Studies

Studying family history provides an opportunity for the individual
to appreciate his or her personal involvement in the historical process.
This is often a powerful incentive to becoming involved in a great deal
of detailed study.
Inevitably everyone has to allocate some priorities, often by restricting
the research to a particular avenue.

Some try to trace all their direct ancestors, whilst others concentrate
on a limited number of family lines.
Several of us made a decision to find out as much as we could about the
bearers of a particular surname including its proven variants.
A few of those who were in this latter group helped to organise a Conference
in Leicester in 1978,
which led to the formation of the Guild of One-Name Studies a year later.

Since then the Guild has attracted a substantial membership
and those who join not only enjoy the support and fellowship of their colleagues,
but also come forward with their own unique contributions to the
methodology of one-name research.
Everyone seems able to bring fresh ideas and suggestions which are of real
benefit to the rest of us.

Derek Palgrave
President of the Guild of One-Name Studies
September 2007